SBM Fire Corps volunteer honored by Salvation Army

Published July 3, 2012 at 7:00 am

A Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View Fire Corps volunteer has received the Salvation Army’s Northern Division Individual Volunteer of the Year Award.

Marie Putnam, the Salvation Army’s 2012 Northern Division Individual Volunteer of the Year Award winner, was recognized for 1,900 hours of community service during the June 7 Blaine City Council meeting. Tom McKee, Salvation Army volunteer services director, read a decree during the meeting and presented Putnam with a framed and numbered award plaque, and Mayor Tom Ryan thanked Putnam for her service to the community. Photo by Tim Hennagir

Marie Putnam was recognized for 1,900 hours of community service during the June 7 Blaine City Council meeting.

Tom McKee, Salvation Army volunteer services director, read a decree during the meeting and presented Putnam with a framed and numbered award plaque.

“With our division, we have more than 80,000 volunteers who serve in some way,” McKee said. “In the Twin Cities, we have more than 30,000 volunteers.”

Putnam has been a Salvation Army Disaster Services volunteer in the Twin Cities for four years.

She spends several hours a week serving food and managing a mobile feeding unit, making sure it’s stocked with supplies and in good working order.

In addition to serving at Twin Cities area disasters, Putnam has been deployed throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and beyond for weeks at time, including the Texas hurricane of 2008 and the 2009 and 2011 North Dakota floods.

Putnam also volunteers with Anoka County Senior Transportation, which provides rides for Anoka County social services clients.